Reconfigureable or modular office work space systems are well known including the arrangement of individual work spaces about a common support member or post. However, these conventional arrangements provide inefficient and awkward work stations and work surfaces. In particular, the physical geometry of the work surfaces make portions of the work surfaces not only difficult to access, but in many cases effectively nonutilizable. Moreover, the shape of the work surfaces can also hamper access to overhead storage areas.
In a conventional work space cluster of five or more work areas arranged around a central support post, the partitions separating the individual work areas typically extend along radial lines emanating from the geometric center of the central support post, similar to spokes on a wagon wheel. In these types of arrangements, the resulting work surfaces are wedge shaped, i.e., deep and increasingly narrow. Work surfaces of this shape result in a high percentage of wasted or non-utilizable space and render the overall work station inefficient. The geometrical shapes involved also make inefficient use of materials in production and, thus, lead to increased costs. In addition, the work surface can actually block a person from reaching a cabinet or shelf at the deepest, most remote portion of the work space.
In addition to inefficient space utilization, conventional work space systems are typically assembled with complex connectors which are awkward to use or with standard nut and bolt connectors, both of which require labor intensive assembly. Moreover, different brackets or connectors may be required to reconfigure the panels and partitions in alternative arrangements. Thus, the purchaser of the system is required to also purchase an inventory of supplemental connectors in the event that they might reconfigure or rearrange their layout into an alternative design at some future date. This increases the cost of purchasing the system as well as increases the cost in reconfiguring this system.